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Synonym Chooser

How is the word avid distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of avid are anxious, athirst, eager, and keen. While all these words mean "moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest," avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed.

avid for new thrills

When might anxious be a better fit than avid?

Although the words anxious and avid have much in common, anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment.

anxious not to make a social blunder

Where would athirst be a reasonable alternative to avid?

The meanings of athirst and avid largely overlap; however, athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action.

athirst for adventure

When could eager be used to replace avid?

While in some cases nearly identical to avid, eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint.

eager to get started

When is it sensible to use keen instead of avid?

The synonyms keen and avid are sometimes interchangeable, but keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action.

keen on the latest fashions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of avid After being avid consumers of luxury brands, the family knew establishing the business in Milan would help give it credibility. Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025 Growing up in an East Coast ski family, Sam cherished family time with her mother, father, and two brothers at resorts in New York and Vermont, and has successfully passed her love of the sport down to her three sons, all of whom are avid skiers. Samantha Berman, Outside, 28 Sep. 2025 As avid music lovers, the pair constantly travels to music festivals around the country, their last being a festival in Connecticut. Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Sep. 2025 But increasing numbers of deep-pocketed, avid collectors are creating more opportunities for sellers and brokers. Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avid
Adjective
  • This isn’t necessarily surprising, given that the last four episodes of the season were released September 3, meaning most eager audiences are likely to have caught up by now.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Henry’s blend of swoony love and spicy romance with compelling characters has rocketed her to the top of the bestseller lists, and fans are eager to see how that might translate to film success.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Nash-Taylor congratulated her stepdaughter on a beautiful wedding in an enthusiastic tribute to the couple's special day.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
  • When enthusiastic punters entered the online maze to reach the front of the queue, what would the damage actually be?
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Polaha plays Dick Hall, the president of Meridian Mortgage who is taken hostage by Tony Kiritsis (Ribisi), who publicly accuses him on being a greedy and cutthroat monster.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Left-wing antisemitism, which cast Jews as greedy capitalists, existed as well, especially in France, but Jew-baiting remained primarily a right-wing pursuit, the work of illiberal nativists who saw a tiny minority as polluting the purity of their racial or religious communities.
    Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The underground pop of the 2010s used to get so excited about being online, using shrinky-dink artifice to delight in poking fun at a culture that could feel shallow and strange but also organic and endlessly renewable.
    Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Last year at this time, fans were excited that the 2025 Grammys looked to be a real horse race, with super-divas Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan all destined to compete in the top categories.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Back when Dragon Ball Z was turning more Western audiences into anime fans, Berserk brought the tale of Guts and his mercenary adventures to startling life.
    Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Earth hires a mercenary company that gamifies the eviction process.
    Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Sklenar recently spoke to THR about his ardent desire to play the next Dark Knight.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Inextricably linked, and weaved into its ardent soul.
    Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But is better than the alternative of admitting to an avaricious Moscow that Ukraine must accept some kind of defeat.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Manipulating these obviously very greedy and avaricious [people] is still kind of beneath his skills.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • One in particular was slow working, keen nosed, and close ranging.
    Worth Matthewson, Outdoor Life, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Hartwell was not keen on the idea.
    Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Avid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avid. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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